[新聞] Myers reigns as king of lefty specialists

[leddy (耿秋)]

Myers reigns as king of lefty specialists
Southpaw has most appearances in baseball since '95
By Ryan Mink / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- In 1997, as a pitcher for the Mariners, Mike Myers and a Seattle
television station wanted to see just how many people would recognize Myers
on the street.
So they came up with idea of sending him to Pike Place Market, a famous fish
market on Seattle's waterfront, to see if people would buy food from him just
for the novelty of meeting a Major League Baseball player.

Myers' item was frozen fish sticks.

"People just gave me funny looks," said Myers, who is now the Yankees'
left-handed specialist.

Such is the life of a baseball "LOOGY" -- a nickname coined by former STATS
Inc. writer John Sickels for a (L)eft-handed, (O)ne-(O)ut (G)u(Y).

But among specialists, Myers is revered. In an online statistical breakdown
of the historical use of LOOGYs by The Hardball Times, Myers is referred to
as "His Majesty, the Big Kahuna, the King of LOOGYs," the "Hardest of
Hardcore" of them all.

Myers is the all-time record holder for most appearances while facing just
one batter. He has averaged less than two-thirds of an inning per appearance
during his 11-year career and has the most appearances of any player since
1995.

"Whether there is something done, good or bad, there's a record for whoever
does the most or least," Myers said. "So OK -- no big deal."

That's his attitude about a lot of things. Myers is an every day, blue-collar
worker. He stands out from his teammates, who have constant media pressure.
Myers almost treats his profession like a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. job.

Myers has been the commissioner of an "office" fantasy golf league for
several years on different teams, and now heads up the Yankees' players and
coaches league. He's an excellent poker player, according to his teammates,
and reads the newspaper and does the crossword puzzle before games.

Asked to describe Myers with one sentence, bullpen coach Joe Kerrigan said,
"He's the kind of guy you'd like to have as your next-door neighbor."

Myers, an Arlington Heights, Ill., native, was described in a different way
by his bullpen buddy Ron Villone, with whom Myers warms up every day. It
wasn't something you often hear said about a player.

"He's very sneaky," Villone said. "He's kind of that under-the-radar type,
but at the same time he's a character."

There are a few tricky things about Myers. He shares his name with famous
horror-movie character Michael Myers from Halloween and he enters games to
the movies' creepy theme music.

Then there's his delivery, which Myers started using in 1996, his first full
season in the big leagues. Suggested by then-broadcaster and former Tigers
great Al Kaline during a plane ride, Myers' delivery comes from far out to
his left and only about a foot above the ground to give Myers some
"funkiness," as he says. Myers tossed perfect innings in his next two outings
after the advice and stuck with it.

Villone also said Myers is very smart. Myers may have the physical appearance
of your average 6-foot-3, 37-year-old father, but can dominate hitters by
outwitting them, Villone said.

Myers, who became a specialist in 1995, uses a low-70 mph slider and a
high-70 mph fastball. He mixes pitches so well that he's a nightmare for
left-handed batters. Lefties are hitting just .241 off Myers this season and
.209 off him in Myers' career.

Although teams sometimes counter Myers' entrance by pinch-hitting a
right-handed hitter, it's Myers' success even against righties which has made
him so successful. Right-handed hitters are hitting .219 off him this season.
He is 1-0 with a 2.66 ERA overall this year.

"He's very important for us," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "That's why you
sort of ignore him a lot, because there's that one situation where his name
comes to mind."

Myers doesn't get the acclaim despite his years of success. But that's fine
by him. Unlike some of his teammates who are recognized in bookstores or
restaurants, Myers keeps a low profile. He resides in Highlands Ranch, Colo.,
with his wife Robyn, sons Christian and Daryl and a daughter named Laryssa.

"My pocket book isn't as big," Myers said. "I don't get as many endorsement
deals. But I'm able to take my family out."

The tough thing is that the Yankees are Myers' eighth Major League team.
Reliable bullpen help is always in demand, but can also become expendable at
season's end. Myers seems to stay two years wherever he goes and has a
two-year contract with the Yankees.

There are also other negatives to the job. Not only has Myers been asked to
retire some of the most feared left-handed hitters -- such as David Ortiz,
Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey Jr. -- but he's asked to do it in some of the
most stressful situations.

"He's a special kind of performer," Kerrigan said. "He can come in and
instantly get an out. He knows it's crucial; that it's this one at-bat, this
left-hander, and it has to happen now. It takes a special talent to do that,
not only pitching skills, but mental skills."

The job can be mentally taxing because it can be difficult for specialists to
get constant work. Some teams don't have any feared lefties in their lineup,
or many lefties at all, meaning a specialist such as Myers could go more than
a week without an appearance. Myers has pitched just 23 2/3 innings in 47
games this season.

But on Aug. 21, with the Yankees on the verge of their five-game sweep of the
Red Sox, Myers' expertise was called on. This was the moment he had been
signed for.

The Yankees were ahead by one run with one out in the seventh inning and the
master of late-inning heroics, David Ortiz, stepped to the plate.

"I know the one guy that I'm going to be facing in this lineup," Myers said
after the game. "It's not a whole lot of fun to think about, but it's fun
when you succeed."

Myers succeeded, striking out Ortiz swinging with just three pitches. That
was the end of his day -- three pitches, one huge out. It was precisely what
he's done throughout his entire career.

"I do my thing and move onto the next day," Myers said. "I'll look at my
baseball card when I retire, see how I did."

He can get one of those cards fairly easily. A Myers rookie card sells for 25
cents online.

But now that he's an all-time record holder, you better act fast; those
things are selling like frozen fish sticks.

Ryan Mink is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to
the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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推 tupacshkur:Myers原來在派克市場賣過魚!@@
推 rosayaptt:這不是日本慣有的節目型態嗎 XD